Some patients who attend urgent surgeries have problems that could have been managed in other ways: coughs, colds, sore throats, diarrhoea and other minor illnesses do not usually need to be seen by a doctor and you can seek information and advice from your pharmacist or on the internet (see www.nhs24.com).

When booking your appointment please consider whether your problem genuinely needs medical attention or whether you could get the right treatment elsewhere. Please see our practice website for advice on the best way to access health services at www.dalhousiemedicalpractice.co.uk.

Appointments

Consultations are by appointment and are available between 08:30 - 18:00. You can book in person at reception or- over the telephone on 0131 537 9844.

Our system allows you to book an appointment with a GP or Practice Nurse of your choice. If your problem is too urgent to wait for the next routine appointment you may be seen at one of our urgent surgeries.

We also offer appointments outwith normal hours which are available on a rotational basis. We offer morning appointments from 7.10am, evening appointments up to 6.40pm. Please phone reception for availablility.

Please remember that an appointment is for one person only. Your appointment is only ten minutes long and normally only one probem can be dealt with effectively at a single appointment. If you feel you will need longer than this then please ask for a double appointment when booking.

Telephone Appointments

If you feel that your problem could be dealt with over the telephone rather than by attending the surgery you can request a telephone consultation. Telephone appointments can be arranged by phoning 0131 537 9844. Telephone appointments are five minutes long. When arranging a telephone appointment please ensure that you do not use a system that blocks 'withheld numbers'. For confidentiality reasons we do not leave our telephone number and we will only leave a message on a personally named answering service.

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.

Continuity

The practice strives at all times to offer patients continuity of care by offering the GP of your choice when you make an appointment.

Missing your appointment or being late

If you cannot attend your appointment, please let us know as we can offer it to someone else. If you continualy miss appointments you may be asked to register with another practice.

If you are late for your appointment, it means that everyone else who is seeing the doctor or nurse after you will be kept waiting.

If you turn up late by more than 10 minutes for your appointment, you will not be seen and you will be asked to re-book your appointment.

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we appreciate this is not always possible. If you need a home visit, you should call reception between 08:30 - 10:00. The house visits doctor will call you back to discuss your request and arrange a home visit if appropriate.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule visits.

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You may also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Training

We are a training practice involved in training qualified doctors to become GPs.

Occasionally consultations may be recorded for training purposes. Again this will only be done with your consent.

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note'

The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

Rights and responsibilities of patients

You have the right to be:

·treated with dignity, courtesy,respect and confidentiality at all times, irrespective of ethnic origin, religious belief, gender or sexual orientation, personal attributes or the nature of your health problem.

·given a choice in your care whenever possible

·given the opportunity to ask questions about your treatment and to refuse treatment if you so wish

·given as much information as you wish so that you feel able to take part in decisions about your treatment

·given access to your records (under the Data Protection Act)

·offered an interpreter if necessary

·assured that all information given to our staff will be treated as confidential

·given a choice about taking part in research and teaching

You are responsible for:

·making and keeping appointments

·notifying the surgery ASAP if unable to keep your appointment

·contacting the surgery to check on results of tests

·ordering repeat prescriptions in adequate time

·informing the practice of any change of name, address or telephone number

·turning off mobile phones when attending appointments

·behaving in an acceptable manner

Zero tolerance of abusive behaviour

Dalhousie Medical Practice tries at all times to deal with patients in a dignified and courteous manner. In return we expect that the same be shown to all staff at the health centre.

Whilst we understand that a visit to the doctors can be stressful or worrying, we will not tolerate aggression or abuse.

Any patient being threatening or abusive to any other person within the health centre may be removed from our practice list without further warning.